Off The Shelf/ Homemade Foods For Cat With Broken Bone

[PASHAMARTLI]

Hi All!

My 1 yr old cat had been missing for 2 weeks and suddenly rocked up at my door step one morning. Long story short- He has a broken pelvis, lost 2kg (now only 4kg) and very malnourished and dehydrated. He is at the vet on a serum so hydration level will boost. And after being fed properly again he should get his weight back up. However, can anyone suggest any off the self/ pet store foods and/or homemade foods that I can give him to assist in him gaining back his muscle strength, the vet mentioned his muscles have deteriorated due to lack of movement. Perhaps assist in bone healing/ recovery and just to increase nutritional supplements which those "tasty" supermarket brands may not be providing ??

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
In addition to canned foods which provide nutrients such as taurine, I would suggest Kitten Glop - there are recipes on the internet, you might want to look for one with goat milk.
Also, Kitten Milk Replacer - again, there are recipes on the internet or you can buy it, and/or goat milk.
Low salt/no seasoning beef broth, boiled unseasoned chicken
Try adding a probiotic like tummyworks or animal essentials.

Dr Elseys clean protein kibble
canned/pouch foods could be Merrick Backcountry, Nutro, Natural Balance, Tiki Cat, Almo Complete (be sure it's their Complete otherwise their cans are good as a treat)

 

[abby2932]

Welcome to The Cat Site!

I also like the idea of adding Kitten Milk Replacer to a high protein, low carb canned cat food. That will put on some weight for sure.

Goat milk isn't super calorie dense but it is very, very nutritious. Just remember not to use the pasteurized kind you would buy at a supermarket. It would have to be raw. Some specialty pet stores sell it now in the freezer section or you can buy it in a powdered version to rehydrate with water. I think they sell it on Amazon & Chewy.

Hopefully you're considering keeping your cat inside so you don't have any more scares like this in the future. (I don't know if your cat is already an indoor cat that managed to escape or if you allow it unsupervised outdoor access)

Prayers for a speedy recovery Don't hesitate to come back to ask questions.

 

[Kieka]

I am going to assume your vet will order crate rest as part of recovery. This thread may be helpful with that, What Made Your "confined-to-crate-rest" Cat Relax? Offer Some Handy Tips....

One of the side effects of crate rest is your cat will be moving less and will regain weight quickly. Plus he will likely be less moblie for a while after as he regains muscle and lingering soreness from the injury. Essentially he will regain that weight without much of a problem from my experience (mine was missing for four days and broken leg, so not as extreme but similar).

I would focus on low carb, high protein options. Wet food would help with hydration and be easier to find with those parameters. I'd also make a home made bone broth to offer or mix in with the food (no seasoning of course) as the collagen and nutrients there would be beneficial too.

 

[PASHAMARTLI]

oh wow! thanks all for the replies
I was overseas and he escaped while my brother was babysitting.
he wont be needing surgery however will be in cage rest for a while
i understand all and will be taking advice.
my question is: Bone broth what should i add to it?

 

[Kieka]

oh wow! thanks all for the replies
I was overseas and he escaped while my brother was babysitting.
he wont be needing surgery however will be in cage rest for a while
i understand all and will be taking advice.
my question is: Bone broth what should i add to it?

You can mix bone broth in with wet food. Some cats will lap it up by itself. They do sell pet safe bone broth but it's fairly easy to make with just a slow cooker, some water and some bone at home. You don't need to add anything into it in terms of vitamins or minerals. It will get plenty just from being what it is. It isn't a complete food by any means but a good source of extra nutrition plus the collagen. It's actually recommended for humans to get some in their diet too and makes an amazing homemade soup base. If you make it home made don't add onions or garlic to the mix.

 

[1 bruce 1]

All of the above and then some. =)
If he won't take to the food (and sometimes they won't after hospitalization and being ill, they're upset) I'll be the "bad" raw feeder and suggest you consider (only if he's not eating) to ask your vet about getting a few cans of Hills A/D. I only suggest this because it's SUPER smelly, SUPER palatable and has a calorie count off the charts. A few bites can pack a serious punch of calories for a guy that might not be at his best when it comes to appetite.
Also, I love the idea of bone broth. We make it regularly.
Actually, tomorrow we're making some beef bone broth from some marrow bones we scored. Super delicious for pets and people and so good for us, assuming you're not a vegetarian of course.
We don't add anything to bone broth. Bone in the crock pot, add some water, maybe a tiny splash of apple cider vinegar to extract minerals but that's it. Simmer 24-48 hours.
For chicken broth we do strain it to make sure no little pieces of bone mix into the broth. We rarely do this with beef marrow bone broth.
If you're feeling really ambitious, a bit of celery and/or carrot will do no harm.
Just don't add things like regular salt, leeks, garlic or onions.
The nice thing about this bone broth freshly made is it's usually warm off the crock pot and is a really enticing addition to regular canned food; it improves smell and warms canned food up.
Also, if you're using cans and "split" them, offering cold canned food from the fridge usually gets a less than exuberant reaction. Warming it a bit with the broth, or putting their meal portion into a sealed container and leaving it in a sink or bowl of cool water to bring to room temp gets a better reaction.

 

[laura mae]

I certainly understand. My boy Booberry was a stray cat initially that we fed so he wouldn't eat our birds at the birdfeeder. Like your cat, he went missing for a couple of weeks and came back constipated and clearly dragging one back leg. We thought it was a sprain and took him to the vet. Turned out it was also a broken pelvis. Needless to say, we kept him inside and he had the crate rest thing. He was actually very good about staying still. It was cold and windy and rainy when he came in and he was so visibly relieved to be warm and dry. Once the consipation was cleared up (not easy to do with the fractured pelvis but it was likely the reason for the constipation) he was a voracious eater. It was really all the entertainment he had. We had him in a bedroom and elminated all the things that would be jump tempting. I'd go in the room for hours every night and sit with him and talk. I'd read, work on something just so he wouldn't be lonely. It was a long, long 8 weeks. Cats are amazing and their pelvic muscles are remarkable at holding all the parts together and healing.

Hills A/D is a good choice for emergency care. I would avoid fish while he is recovering. You can gently heat his food in the microwave too in order to make it more tempting.

I had a low sided box top with a liner in it for his litter box so he would not have to exert much effort to use the box. Even though he might be tempted before the 8 weeks are up, his bones are not healed until that time has passed and you get the all clear from a second set of x-rays. My vet scared the bejesus out of me by stating that a jump of any kind could fracture his area at the base of his tail and render him unable to poop at all ever again. So I made absolutely sure he couldn't jump, use stairs, nothing except rest. Good luck! I've been there. Also once healed, they can be kind of used to the "rest."

That happened in 2013 and now Booberry is a happy indoor pudge. He does have ongoing issues with constipation and I have to watch him like a hawk. Chances are this occured because of the change as the result of the fracture.

 

[PASHAMARTLI]

You can mix bone broth in with wet food. Some cats will lap it up by itself. They do sell pet safe bone broth but it's fairly easy to make with just a slow cooker, some water and some bone at home. You don't need to add anything into it in terms of vitamins or minerals. It will get plenty just from being what it is. It isn't a complete food by any means but a good source of extra nutrition plus the collagen. It's actually recommended for humans to get some in their diet too and makes an amazing homemade soup base. If you make it home made don't add onions or garlic to the mix.

Awesome! Much appreciated

 

[PASHAMARTLI]

I certainly understand. My boy Booberry was a stray cat initially that we fed so he wouldn't eat our birds at the birdfeeder. Like your cat, he went missing for a couple of weeks and came back constipated and clearly dragging one back leg. We thought it was a sprain and took him to the vet. Turned out it was also a broken pelvis. Needless to say, we kept him inside and he had the crate rest thing. He was actually very good about staying still. It was cold and windy and rainy when he came in and he was so visibly relieved to be warm and dry. Once the consipation was cleared up (not easy to do with the fractured pelvis but it was likely the reason for the constipation) he was a voracious eater. It was really all the entertainment he had. We had him in a bedroom and elminated all the things that would be jump tempting. I'd go in the room for hours every night and sit with him and talk. I'd read, work on something just so he wouldn't be lonely. It was a long, long 8 weeks. Cats are amazing and their pelvic muscles are remarkable at holding all the parts together and healing.

Hills A/D is a good choice for emergency care. I would avoid fish while he is recovering. You can gently heat his food in the microwave too in order to make it more tempting.

I had a low sided box top with a liner in it for his litter box so he would not have to exert much effort to use the box. Even though he might be tempted before the 8 weeks are up, his bones are not healed until that time has passed and you get the all clear from a second set of x-rays. My vet scared the bejesus out of me by stating that a jump of any kind could fracture his area at the base of his tail and render him unable to poop at all ever again. So I made absolutely sure he couldn't jump, use stairs, nothing except rest. Good luck! I've been there. Also once healed, they can be kind of used to the "rest."

That happened in 2013 and now Booberry is a happy indoor pudge. He does have ongoing issues with constipation and I have to watch him like a hawk. Chances are this occured because of the change as the result of the fracture.

Great and useful info! Thank you

 

[PASHAMARTLI]

Hi All
So i bought a few cans of Hills A/D
and also discovered an organic one (recommended by staff) Ivory Coat dry food 31% protein and 19% (off the top of my head) crude fat. Will provide updates after a few days
Im thinking to make beef bone broth at home over the w/e (following the recipe above) and mixing it up with his food.

 

[duckpond]

High protein wet food would be best, in my opinion. If you can find some Kitten wet food he likes? Its often higher in protein and some other nutrients? Best of luck to your guy!

 

[PASHAMARTLI]

Protein 44.0g
Fat 33.2g

High protein wet food would be best, in my opinion. If you can find some Kitten wet food he likes? Its often higher in protein and some other nutrients? Best of luck to your guy!

thank you!! i will for sure, do u happen to know any good ones out there??

 

[duckpond]

I know that Merrick has some kitten foods, wet and dry my kittens always liked their kitten foods. Fancy feast has kitten food that is pretty good, and they just introduced a new flavor i think. Mine also liked the Royal canin thin slices in gravy for kittens. these 3 brands were i think the only 3 kitten foods i ever used. but my guys liked all 3 of these.